Art of Advertising

Over at DailyKos they're having some fun pointing out the use of low-cost iStockPhotos by a coal industry lobbying group. I guess the "Foundation for American Coal, Energy And Security" would rather spend its money buying off Congressmen, not paying for original photography. Now stock photography is being used more and more for all sorts of clients (including mine), but a commenter points out that iStockPhoto rules …

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More and more, new books are getting their own online trailers. This one looks interesting: According to the author's blog, it will be available in September. Don't confuse it with a similarly titled book by Mark Tungate about the history of advertising. …

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When I was in high school, there was a lot of interest in the 60's, partially due to the reissuing of classic albums on CD. And Nike used "Revolution" in an ad, while Neil Young said he'd never sing for a brand. Now, once again, the Sixties are back in vogue in advertising. From The New York Times: The growing prominence of the '60s is partly a result of the election of Barack Obama, whose paeans to hope and …

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I haven't fully explored this yet, but thanks to a comment on The Ad Contrarian I was pointed in the direction of an Australian TV show that deconstructs ad campaigns. The show is called The Gruen Transfer. From the website: The Gruen Transfer (TGT) is a show about advertising, how it works, and how it works on us. Hosted by the inimitable Wil Anderson, TGT decodes and defuses the commercial messages that swirl …

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Every now and then (or more like all the time), I need to remind myself that there's an art form to great writing and concepting. In the day-to-day, get-it-out-now world of advertising, we need to keep the basics in mind. Over at I Have An Idea, there's a wonderful article by Suzanne Pope, GCD of John Street in Toronto. Using dozens upon dozens of examples, she points out how great headlines and great concepts drive …

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I like to see artists do something smart with advertising. Matt Siber, for instance. Here are some words from his Floating Logos artist's statement: Inspired by the proliferation of very tall signs in the American Mid-West, Floating Logos seeks to draw attention to this often overlooked form of advertising. Perched atop very tall poles or stanchions, these corporate beacons emit their message by looming over us in …

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I'm a huge proponent of brands hiring artists to produce something of lasting value. And I love to see a local company step up and support the artists in their community. Alden State Bank in Alden, Michigan made good on both of these ideals when they put John T. Unger on their signage needs. Unger describes the work: From across the street, the trout looks almost photoreal, which was really the look I was going for. …

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